Gold Reef City enriches young minds

Gold Reef City enriches young minds in celebration of Literacy Day On Thursday, 19 September the Gold Reef City team of volunteers brought smiles and excitement to 300 of Turffontein Primary School’s children, as part of a Literacy Day celebration. With the 2019 theme set on Literacy and Multilingualism, Gold Reef City’s volunteer staff dedicated their time to set up activities to ensure that these learners are given the opportunity to acquire these skills. According to the Albany Business Review, “Literacy is essential to developing a strong sense of well-being and citizenship. Children who have developed strong reading skills perform better in school and have a healthier self-image. They become lifelong learners and sought-after employees.” The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by world leaders in September 2015, promotes universal access to quality education and learning opportunities throughout people’s lives. The fourth goal of Sustainable Development is to ensure that all young people achieve literacy and numeracy and that adults who lack these skills are also given the opportunity to acquire them. Kiran Singh, Director of Operations and Complex General Manager Gold Reef City, agrees that, “International Literacy Day is an opportunity to express solidarity with the celebrations of the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages and the 25th anniversary of the World Conference on Special Needs Education. It is also the perfect opportunity to think about the children in our surrounding neighbourhood and do something to make a difference in their lives.” The 2019 Literacy Day activities pay special attention to physical development, cognitive development and language. The Gold Reef City team followed suit by dividing their event’s activities into the same three areas of focus. The physical development activities included Hopscotch, Hit the Target and Hop like a Bunny. The cognitive development activities included a colouring competition and a Match the Colours memory game. The language activity included story telling time with an enjoyable questions and answers session to end it off. As the morning came to a close, the children gathered around the prize table for a special prizegiving session for those who excelled in the programme. It was a special day, thoroughly enjoyed by all involved. Mr Mzangwe, Turfontein Primary School Deputy Principal said, “This initiative has been very beneficial for our learners and we are happy to see the learners ending the term with a bang. The activities were fun, all the learners were engaged and excited. Thank you, Gold Reef City.”   Get Social: Follow us on Twitter @GoldReefCitySA or keep up to date with our news on Facebook @GoldReefCitySA#LoveGRC